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Friday, October 30, 2015

Several years ago, I made place name holders from the newly released Thanksgiving cart. They were much admired and a couple even disappeared! It's way past time for an update to my Thanksgiving table and so I went looking for ideas on Pinterest. I found some very cute teepee holders and was reminded of the teepee cards I made last year. Aha! I had seen an easy peasy teepee card on Collette's Digi-re-doo-dah blog that I was sure I could create in Design Space and here it is: -

It's basically a 6 inches wide by 3 inches deep rectangle with a 1 inch triangle welded on the bottom edge. There are score lines from the center of the top edge of the rectangle to the triangle point, to one of the bottom angles of the triangle and to both bottom corners of the rectangle. The panels are triangles welded together and you need two large and two small panels. I glued the 2 small panels and one of the large ones in between the score lines as shown.

The next step is to apply glue to the top edges and fold into a pyramid shape. The second large panel was adhered on the glued side to conceal the join.

After pushing in the score line between the two small panels, the teepee will fold flat (well, flatish!) for mailing or storage. Easy peasy!

Now the fun part - embellishing! The "Give Thanks" sentiment comes from Artbooking, and the wheat and feather cuts come from the Thanksgiving cart. I left the tips of the feathers unglued so that I could insert the place card. The leaves are cut with dies from Sunny Studios because I just love the added definition to the edge that you get from a little steel die.

Here's just two of the place card holders. I'm eschewing matchy-matchy this year and making them with different designer papers for the panels. (I learned the hard way not to use a paper with an obvious one way pattern!!!!) And, if one or two disappear again, I won't be scrambling to find a piece of paper to match the rest!

It was simple to make a larger card sized version of the teepee place name holder and I'm glad to have this easy peasy template in my DS files. Thank you for visiting with me today. : ) Christine

Saturday, October 24, 2015

This week's challenge over at BBTB2 was, ummm. challenging! This vintage, British born lady, could not imagine EVER sending a card featuring lingerie, pink or otherwise! It took me three rejected and dejected designs to come up with a card that I could actually envision sending to someone and here it is: -

I've made word shaped cards before using phrases from the Wild Card cart, but this time I started from scratch and used the 'text' feature to write the words "think" and "pink." I used the Carousel font since it has a lovely chunky shadow layer. I ungrouped the shadow letters and manipulated them until they overlapped and then welded them together. Using small triangle shapes, I covered up the smaller gaps between the letters so that the shape had a more cohesive look and welded again before duplicating and flipping the image. Aligning the two shapes one on top of the other, I welded them into one shape. I added thin rectangles to fill in the fold line and welded again. Lastly, I added the shadow layer from the ribbon from the Pink Journey cart and welded all the images together.

I think next time I try this technique, I'll fill in more of the gaps between the letters and see if that gives it a more structured look. (I want to try this with my grandchildren's names - won't that be fun?)

I wanted to keep the card as uncluttered as possible, but could not resist a rolled rose from the Flower Shoppe card and these tiny bead butterflies that have lived in my embellishment box for years just waiting for the right card!

One last look: -

Do go see here to see what the DT created for this challenge. Their imaginative projects are part of the reason this card was so challenging!
I am also linking my card with the BCA awareness Pinky Linky at DL Art.

Thanks for visiting with me today. : ) Christine

Oooops! I did not read the rules properly at BBTB2 and since this card doesn't have lingerie OR a lady, I removed it from the link up. Ah well! This card was a terrific learning process and I loved making it. : )

Thursday, October 22, 2015

I recently received another HSN shipment of Anna Griffin mix and match embossing plates and I have NO idea how I'll ever use all of them! However, this shipment did include a "Trick or Treat' sentiment and I was inspired to create a card that is not 'cute.'

I used paper from an old Carta Bella collection and some coordinating stickers and die cuts. Kinda, sorta different. Love that black, shiny paper!

Sunday, October 18, 2015

My DH sighs when another Product Release video from Jennifer McQuire pops in my mailbox and I start "Ooohing and Ahhhhing." But, my reaction was different this week when I saw the Mama Elephant stamps and dies and the spinner card Jennifer had created. "I can do THAT with my Explore!" I cried and DH sighed but with relief this time. Here it is:-

I was so pleased that the Bitten by the Bug 2 challenge blog decided to continue for a while and I was determined to participate in the Turkey and Canadian Thanksgiving challenge. Coming up with something a little bit different from the inspirational projects offered by the DT was difficult until I saw the spinner card and envisioned a turkey revolving in the card!

I cut the card base from Tags, Bags, Boxes and More 2 but in resizing the card I stretched the circular window. I used the Hide Contour button to delete it and sliced another circle using the shapes button. I used the circle that sliced from the card to create two circular frames for inside and outside the card. These frames hide the knots that attach the thread that spins the turkey.

I cut the turkey from Autumn Celebrations. One of the images is mirrored in the Edit panel and then adhered together over the thread. (Who needs two stamps and dies? Haha!) The pumpkins come from Create a Critter 2 and are contoured and shaded with my markers to add dimension.

The sentiment also comes from Create a Critter and the cooked turkey inside the card comes from Simply Charmed. I embossed the front of the card with a Darice folder called Fall Leaves because it features lovely maple leaves.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

It started out as a project using the 'fill' patterns in Design Space. Ever since I sadly disposed of my Imagine, I have waited, not very patiently, for this feature to be added to Design Space and finally, here it is! The patterns are available after you flatten your image in the Layer Attribute panel and then the edit button brings up a slider bar that allows you to scale the pattern:-

Be aware, however, that the size restrictions on the image you can print and cut also limit a pattern filled cut. (Go here for more details.)

So, having decided to make a birdhouse (a free pattern from Bird's Cards new svg shop here.) using one of my favorite bark patterns from the Snapshot Nature Imagine cart, it occurred to me that I could use up some of the (many) crazy birds that I watercolored by adding them to the birdhouse. Naturally, I could not stop there, and the whole Crazy Birds Halloween Birdhouse was born! Here it is:-

And, of course, the reason that the pretty princess is so apprehensive about Trick or Treating at the birdhouse is that those crazy birds went way over the top with their decorating! Can you tell I had fun, fun, fun, fun, fun with this project?

I used images from A Child's Year, Monster Bash, Classroom - October and November, and Creepy Critters carts. One last view with the tealight glowing:-

Thursday, October 8, 2015

My sister came down last week and we had a lovely 'catching up' visit! Cocoa was very happy that Katie had a new doggy cousin to pester and chase instead of being the sole recipient of her attention.

Jan brought down a box containing cards that I'd made for her over the last ten years or so. Hmmm! Thankfully, I've learned a lot about paper choices, color selection and design over the years.

I found time to work in my craft room today and quickly transformed it from its unnatural tidy state to its usual comfortable muddle and mess. I have been playing with the new flood fill feature in Design Space and really like being able to adjust the size of the pattern to 'fit' the design.

Since I was using Halloween confetti inside the shaker, I needed to allow plenty of space inside the mechanism. I cut a circle of black craft foam and sandwiched it between the patterned paper, the acetate, and the black construction paper circular frame. My trusty Explore cut all the elements perfectly and good old Glossy Accents glued it all together.

Here's the inside: -

You'll see that for once, I added the HK nose but I'll confess to cutting it in white and using a Distress marker to color it pink. LOL!

Thanks for visiting with me today. Hope you like this year's HK card! : ) Christine